CHANDIGARH: Punjab on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Railways to start a luxury tourist train, which will be manufactured at Railway Coach factory, Kapurthala.
 

The MoU was signed by Principal Secretary, Tourism, and Chief Executive Officer of the Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board Geetika Kalha and Executive Director (Tourism and Catering) of Railway Board, Ministry of Railways, Ashok Kumar at Rail Bhawan in New Delhi.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Union Minister of Railways Lalu Prasad Yadav, Union Minister of Tourism and Culture Ambika Soni and Minister for Tourism and Culture, Punjab, Hira Singh Gabria were also present on the occasion. Kalha said the proposed train would cover popular destinations in north India, including Amritsar, Anandpur Sahib, Chandigarh, Dharamsala, Patiala and Kurukshetra, besides Agra, Delhi and Jaipur in its seven-day itinerary.

The train equipped with five-star facilities will have salons, multi-cuisine restaurant cars, lounge bars, observation cars with a viewing gallery, gym, spa, library, games room and a computer centre. The project was expected to be ready within two years.